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Scientists call for UK lockdown after rapid spread of Covid-19 variant Stricter measures needed as cases of mutated virus, linked to UK travellers, are reported across globe
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Michael Ejercito
Dec 27, 2020, 12:34:15 PM12/27/20
to
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/27/scientists-call-for-nationwide-lockdown-after-rapid-spread-of-covid-19-variant
Scientists call for UK lockdown after rapid spread of Covid-19 variant
Stricter measures needed as cases of mutated virus, linked to UK
travellers, are reported across globe
Coronavirus – latest updates
See all our coronavirus coverage
Covid-19 cell
A daily rate of 32,725 cases of Covid-19 were was reported at the end of
last week, a 46.6% increase on the previous week. Photograph:
Natchavakorn Songpracone/Alamy
Robin McKie, Toby Helm and Jamie Doward
Sun 27 Dec 2020 02.30 EST
4,112
Cases of the new variant Covid-19 virus were confirmed in several
European countries on Saturday, including Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
All were linked to people who had arrived from the UK.
Meanwhile, Japan has announced it is banning all new entries of foreign
nationals from Monday following the discovery of the variant in
travellers from the UK.
The news came at the same time as a further six million people in east
and south-east England had tier 4 conditions, England’s strictest Covid
level, imposed on them on Boxing Day. Lockdowns were also introduced in
Scotland and Northern Ireland. Around 24 million people in England, more
than 40% of the population, are now living in tier 4, as pressure mounts
for the whole country to be put in this category.
Advertisement
Scientists from the Independent Sage group have urged that all regions
of England be placed in tier 4, meaning that non-essential shops,
hairdressers, and leisure and entertainment venues must close. Devolved
nations were advised to bring forward their own national lockdowns. Tier
4 should include enhanced travel restrictions, the group said, while
arguing that an emergency plan be introduced to enable safe education in
January and February.
This idea is supported by teaching unions, who have demanded that the
government keeps schools closed as evidence has grown that the new virus
variant is proving to be particularly infectious among children.
This point was backed by Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the
University of East Anglia. “If this new variant is behind the increase
in this age group, then that is a big worry,” he said.
France announced this weekend that it has discovered its first case of
the new variant – a French citizen who arrived in Tours after travelling
from London a week ago, according to health officials.
In Madrid, Spanish officials said three cases of the new variant
recently discovered in the country involved relatives of a man who had
arrived from the UK on Christmas Eve, while the fourth case also
involved a traveller from the UK. None of the patients was reported to
be seriously ill.
In the UK, the NHS on Saturday revealed that a further 161 people who
had tested positive for Covid-19 have died. The patients were aged
between 44 and 100 years old, and all except eight had known underlying
health conditions. The figure brings the total number of confirmed
reported Covid deaths in hospitals in England to 48,311.
Numbers of cases are soaring around the country as the coronavirus
variant continues to spread rapidly, particularly among young people. A
daily rate of 32,725 cases was reported at the end of last week, a 46.6%
increase on the previous week.
Pressure is mounting for the medical authorities to announce their
approval of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. The UK has agreed to buy 100
million doses, and last week Prof Sir John Ball, of Oxford University, a
member of the government’s official Sage group of advisers, said he
expected the country’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory
Agency to give approval “just after Christmas”.
Preparing vaccines
Staffing could present challenges for the rapid delivery of the
Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. Photograph: EPA
The news would give badly needed hope that vaccines will become
available quickly enough to halt the recent rapid rise in Covid-19
cases. However, approval will also raise major headaches about the
distribution of doses. To date, more than 600,000 have been administered
since 8 December, but scientists have warned that more than a million
people will have to be inoculated every week to bring infections under
control in the near future.
Tom Sasse, associate director at the Institute for Government, called
for a public debate around the prioritisation of individuals receiving
vaccines. “By mid-January, quite a lot of the really vulnerable will
have been vaccinated but then you are going to have this quite large
group of 60- to 75-year-old people who won’t have been vaccinated,” he
told the Observer. “A lot of people in the NHS are saying they are not
the most likely to die but they could still fill up our wards.”
Despite this, the arrival of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine would
undoubtedly be a game-changer, said Helen Buckingham, director of
strategy at the Nuffield Trust. “Then staffing will become the primary
constraint,” she added.
“At the moment, vaccination is done by staff in primary care, and they
are managing that alongside their other workloads. But when you start
setting up mass vaccination centres – and NHS England have indicated
they will do that – then you will need more staff.”
Buckingham said the NHS was working to make sure there were people in
place to give the vaccines and support those receiving it, with a target
of around 40,000 staff being sought. “It’s not just a case of sticking
the needle in,” she said. “People have to have the proper information
about the vaccine beforehand, be observed afterwards and so on.”
Against the background of rapidly rising infection rates, Boris
Johnson’s abysmal public rating appears to have bottomed out. According
to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer, the prime minister’s
approval rating is now -6% (38% approve, 44% disapprove), compared with
-8% two weeks ago.
By contrast, the opposition leader Keir Starmer’s net rating has
maintained a steady positive, showing at +12%, an increase from +9%
since he was last rated in a poll.
Positive ratings were given to only two other major politicians in
respect of their Covid performances: the mayor of Greater Manchester,
Andy Burnham, at +11% and chancellor Rishi Sunak at +27%.
Every other major politician of whom opinions were canvassed for the
poll was given a net negative rating, with the home secretary, Priti
Patel, coming bottom at -19%.
Scientists call for UK lockdown after rapid spread of Covid-19 variant
Stricter measures needed as cases of mutated virus, linked to UK
travellers, are reported across globe
Coronavirus – latest updates
See all our coronavirus coverage
Covid-19 cell
A daily rate of 32,725 cases of Covid-19 were was reported at the end of
last week, a 46.6% increase on the previous week. Photograph:
Natchavakorn Songpracone/Alamy
Robin McKie, Toby Helm and Jamie Doward
Sun 27 Dec 2020 02.30 EST
4,112
Cases of the new variant Covid-19 virus were confirmed in several
European countries on Saturday, including Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
All were linked to people who had arrived from the UK.
Meanwhile, Japan has announced it is banning all new entries of foreign
nationals from Monday following the discovery of the variant in
travellers from the UK.
The news came at the same time as a further six million people in east
and south-east England had tier 4 conditions, England’s strictest Covid
level, imposed on them on Boxing Day. Lockdowns were also introduced in
Scotland and Northern Ireland. Around 24 million people in England, more
than 40% of the population, are now living in tier 4, as pressure mounts
for the whole country to be put in this category.
Advertisement
Scientists from the Independent Sage group have urged that all regions
of England be placed in tier 4, meaning that non-essential shops,
hairdressers, and leisure and entertainment venues must close. Devolved
nations were advised to bring forward their own national lockdowns. Tier
4 should include enhanced travel restrictions, the group said, while
arguing that an emergency plan be introduced to enable safe education in
January and February.
This idea is supported by teaching unions, who have demanded that the
government keeps schools closed as evidence has grown that the new virus
variant is proving to be particularly infectious among children.
This point was backed by Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the
University of East Anglia. “If this new variant is behind the increase
in this age group, then that is a big worry,” he said.
France announced this weekend that it has discovered its first case of
the new variant – a French citizen who arrived in Tours after travelling
from London a week ago, according to health officials.
In Madrid, Spanish officials said three cases of the new variant
recently discovered in the country involved relatives of a man who had
arrived from the UK on Christmas Eve, while the fourth case also
involved a traveller from the UK. None of the patients was reported to
be seriously ill.
In the UK, the NHS on Saturday revealed that a further 161 people who
had tested positive for Covid-19 have died. The patients were aged
between 44 and 100 years old, and all except eight had known underlying
health conditions. The figure brings the total number of confirmed
reported Covid deaths in hospitals in England to 48,311.
Numbers of cases are soaring around the country as the coronavirus
variant continues to spread rapidly, particularly among young people. A
daily rate of 32,725 cases was reported at the end of last week, a 46.6%
increase on the previous week.
Pressure is mounting for the medical authorities to announce their
approval of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. The UK has agreed to buy 100
million doses, and last week Prof Sir John Ball, of Oxford University, a
member of the government’s official Sage group of advisers, said he
expected the country’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory
Agency to give approval “just after Christmas”.
Preparing vaccines
Staffing could present challenges for the rapid delivery of the
Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. Photograph: EPA
The news would give badly needed hope that vaccines will become
available quickly enough to halt the recent rapid rise in Covid-19
cases. However, approval will also raise major headaches about the
distribution of doses. To date, more than 600,000 have been administered
since 8 December, but scientists have warned that more than a million
people will have to be inoculated every week to bring infections under
control in the near future.
Tom Sasse, associate director at the Institute for Government, called
for a public debate around the prioritisation of individuals receiving
vaccines. “By mid-January, quite a lot of the really vulnerable will
have been vaccinated but then you are going to have this quite large
group of 60- to 75-year-old people who won’t have been vaccinated,” he
told the Observer. “A lot of people in the NHS are saying they are not
the most likely to die but they could still fill up our wards.”
Despite this, the arrival of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine would
undoubtedly be a game-changer, said Helen Buckingham, director of
strategy at the Nuffield Trust. “Then staffing will become the primary
constraint,” she added.
“At the moment, vaccination is done by staff in primary care, and they
are managing that alongside their other workloads. But when you start
setting up mass vaccination centres – and NHS England have indicated
they will do that – then you will need more staff.”
Buckingham said the NHS was working to make sure there were people in
place to give the vaccines and support those receiving it, with a target
of around 40,000 staff being sought. “It’s not just a case of sticking
the needle in,” she said. “People have to have the proper information
about the vaccine beforehand, be observed afterwards and so on.”
Against the background of rapidly rising infection rates, Boris
Johnson’s abysmal public rating appears to have bottomed out. According
to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer, the prime minister’s
approval rating is now -6% (38% approve, 44% disapprove), compared with
-8% two weeks ago.
By contrast, the opposition leader Keir Starmer’s net rating has
maintained a steady positive, showing at +12%, an increase from +9%
since he was last rated in a poll.
Positive ratings were given to only two other major politicians in
respect of their Covid performances: the mayor of Greater Manchester,
Andy Burnham, at +11% and chancellor Rishi Sunak at +27%.
Every other major politician of whom opinions were canvassed for the
poll was given a net negative rating, with the home secretary, Priti
Patel, coming bottom at -19%.
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Dec 27, 2020, 1:18:59 PM12/27/20
to
> Scientists from the Independent Sage group have urged that all regions
> of England be placed in tier 4, meaning that non-essential shops,
> hairdressers, and leisure and entertainment venues must close. Devolved
> nations were advised to bring forward their own national lockdowns. Tier
> 4 should include enhanced travel restrictions, the group said, while
> arguing that an emergency plan be introduced to enable safe education in
> January and February.
>
> This idea is supported by teaching unions, who have demanded that the
> government keeps schools closed as evidence has grown that the new virus
> variant is proving to be particularly infectious among children.
>
> This point was backed by Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the
> University of East Anglia. “If this new variant is behind the increase
> in this age group, then that is a big worry,” he said.
The only healthy way to stop the pandemic in the UK and the rest of
> of England be placed in tier 4, meaning that non-essential shops,
> hairdressers, and leisure and entertainment venues must close. Devolved
> nations were advised to bring forward their own national lockdowns. Tier
> 4 should include enhanced travel restrictions, the group said, while
> arguing that an emergency plan be introduced to enable safe education in
> January and February.
>
> This idea is supported by teaching unions, who have demanded that the
> government keeps schools closed as evidence has grown that the new virus
> variant is proving to be particularly infectious among children.
>
> This point was backed by Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the
> University of East Anglia. “If this new variant is behind the increase
> in this age group, then that is a big worry,” he said.
the EU is by rapidly ( http://bit.ly/RapidTestCOVID-19 ) finding out
at any given moment, including even while on-line, who among us are
unwittingly contagious (i.e pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic) in order
to http://bit.ly/ConvinceItForward (John 15:12) for them to call their
doctor and self-quarantine per their doctor in hopes of stopping this
pandemic even in the worst-case scenario of the "UK variant mutations"
**and** others like the "cluster-5 mink mutations" (read more via
Google) rendering current vaccines ineffective.
Indeed, I am wonderfully hungry ( http://bit.ly/RapidTestCOVID-19 )
and hope you, Michael, also have a healthy appetite too.
So how are you ?
...because we mindfully choose to openly care with our heart,
HeartDoc Andrew <><
--
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Cardiologist with an http://bit.ly/EternalMedicalLicense
2016 & upwards non-partisan candidate for U.S. President:
http://bit.ly/WonderfullyHungryPresident
and author of the 2PD-OMER Approach:
http://bit.ly/HeartDocAndrewCare
which is the only **healthy** cure for the U.S. healthcare crisis
Michael Ejercito
Dec 27, 2020, 2:22:45 PM12/27/20
to
>
> Indeed, I am wonderfully hungry ( http://bit.ly/RapidTestCOVID-19 )
> and hope you, Michael, also have a healthy appetite too.
>
> So how are you ?
>
Michael
Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Dec 27, 2020, 2:30:27 PM12/27/20
to
MichaelE wrote:
It's when we're saying/writing that we're "wonderfully hungry" (
http://bit.ly/Philippians4_12 ) when either greeting or being greeted
that we can (Philippians 4:13) be 100% certain that we are not
contagious at that given moment.
>> Indeed, I am wonderfully hungry ( http://bit.ly/RapidTestCOVID-19 )
>> and hope you, Michael, also have a healthy appetite too.
>>
>> So how are you ?
>
> I am wonderfully hungry!
While wonderfully hungry in the Holy Spirit, Who causes (Deuteronomy
8:3) us to hunger, I note that you, Michael, not only don't have
COVID-19 but are rapture (Luke 17:37) ready and pray (2 Chronicles
7:14) that our Everlasting (Isaiah 9:6) Father in Heaven continues to
give us "much more" (Luke 11:13) Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) so
that we'd have much more of His Help to always say/write that we're
"wonderfully hungry" in **all** ways including especially caring to
http://bit.ly/ConvinceItForward (John 15:12 as shown by
http://bit.ly/RapidTestCOVID-19 ) with all glory (
http://bit.ly/Psalm117_ ) to GOD (aka HaShem, Elohim, Abba, DEO), in
the name (John 16:23) of LORD Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen.
Laus DEO !
Be hungrier, which really is wonderfully healthier especially for
diabetics and other heart disease patients:
http://bit.ly/HeartDocAndrewToutsHunger (Luke 6:21a) with all glory to
GOD, Who causes us to hunger (Deuteronomy 8:3) when He blesses us
right now (Luke 6:21a) thereby removing the http://bit.ly/HeartVAT
from around the heart
http://bit.ly/Philippians4_12 ) when either greeting or being greeted
that we can (Philippians 4:13) be 100% certain that we are not
contagious at that given moment.
>> Indeed, I am wonderfully hungry ( http://bit.ly/RapidTestCOVID-19 )
>> and hope you, Michael, also have a healthy appetite too.
>>
>> So how are you ?
>
> I am wonderfully hungry!
8:3) us to hunger, I note that you, Michael, not only don't have
COVID-19 but are rapture (Luke 17:37) ready and pray (2 Chronicles
7:14) that our Everlasting (Isaiah 9:6) Father in Heaven continues to
give us "much more" (Luke 11:13) Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) so
that we'd have much more of His Help to always say/write that we're
"wonderfully hungry" in **all** ways including especially caring to
http://bit.ly/ConvinceItForward (John 15:12 as shown by
http://bit.ly/RapidTestCOVID-19 ) with all glory (
http://bit.ly/Psalm117_ ) to GOD (aka HaShem, Elohim, Abba, DEO), in
the name (John 16:23) of LORD Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen.
Laus DEO !
Be hungrier, which really is wonderfully healthier especially for
diabetics and other heart disease patients:
http://bit.ly/HeartDocAndrewToutsHunger (Luke 6:21a) with all glory to
GOD, Who causes us to hunger (Deuteronomy 8:3) when He blesses us
right now (Luke 6:21a) thereby removing the http://bit.ly/HeartVAT
from around the heart
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